Unilever used the visit of British Prime Minister David Cameron to its Hindustan Unilever business in Mumbai to announce that it is investing €50 million to set up its first Asian aerosol deodorant manufacturing facility in Khamgaon, Maharashtra.

Pier Luigi Sigismondi, chief supply chain officer for Unilever, said, "Unilever’s supply chain is central to the company’s delivery of consistent, sustainable and profitable growth. This investment in India is part of our broader expansion plans to help us achieve our ambition of doubling our business, while halving our environmental impact. The Khamgaon plant is one of the 30 new factories being built by 2015 and we will utilize the latest technology to deliver the increased quality products our consumers demand while meeting the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan commitments."

Investment in Khamgaon will be phased over three years and production capacity will gradually be scaled up to generate direct employment for more than 150 people and indirect employment for about 200 people. The plant will service demand from India and across Southeast Asia including Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam.

Nitin Paranjpe, Hindustan Unilever’s CEO, said, "Today’s announcement is another example of our commitment to cater to our growth in India. It will enable us to better serve consumers with innovation and green technology, as well as improve service levels to our retail customers."

Unilever directly employs more than 16,000 people full time in India and has it head office is in Mumbai with more than 40 manufacturing plants across the country.